Field Testing the Best Waterfowl Ammo with Knockdown Power

I hunted each of the last three days of duck season with my 85-year-old father. Restocking our blind bags, Dad asked, “Do you have any more of those Remington shells?”

Dad and I hunt a lot of ducks together. He’s still an exceptional shot.            

The day prior, Dad tried a new tungsten load and didn’t like it. I gave him six Remington Duck Club Steel shells I had in a pocket. He killed five ducks with the size 2 payloads. “I still think larger steel is the way to go; every one of those ducks dropped dead,” he noted as my dog went to get the last bird of the morning, a gorgeous Northern pintail that fell in the decoys.

KILLING EFFICIENCY 

Earlier in the season. I first shot the Duck Club Steel in a 20-gauge load moving 1-ounce of size 3 shot at 1,300 fps. I shot a Browning Silver 20 gauge fitted with a Muller Decoy choke while a buddy shot his Benelli SBE3, also in a 20 gauge but with an improved cylinder choke. We smashed mallards as they backpedaled into a narrow river slough. Impressive, but then again, any load would have killed those ducks, as all shots were inside 30 yards.

Two days later, we were hunting a flooded field with the same 20-gauge loads. Ducks were wary, and shots ranged from 20 to 45 yards. This time, I shot the Duck Club Steel in Benelli’s new SBE3 with the AI barrel and their factory full choke, while my friend pulled out his Retay shotgun fitted with a modified choke. We hunted from a panel blind, which was ideal for maneuvering into a solid shooting position as ducks came from all angles due to the lack of wind. We killed ducks with efficiency, and the biggest takeaway for both of us was the lack of lead needed to kill birds. This load moved with efficiency and held a tight pattern.

In the final week of the season, another buddy and I hunted a private farm pond. It was surrounded by public land, and pressure was high. Stagnant ducks were smart, but it was the first wind we’d seen in weeks, so we felt confident we could work birds into good range. This is where the 20-gauge Duck Club Steel really impressed me. Gusts in excess of 20 mph had ducks slowly cupping into the decoys. The first shots were simple, but the follow-up shots were tough. Ducks quickly gained altitude and distance. Some ducks folded, others required follow-up shots on the water. If you truly want to see how a pattern lays out, water swatting ducks is tough to beat. We were impressed with the tight patterns and how well it held together in strong crosswinds. It held tight, didn’t separate and killed ducks beyond 50 yards.

I also tested Duck Club Steel on late-season divers. Though I was shooting the 20-gauge loads at decoying birds, even at 30 yards, divers are tough. Size 3 steel shot is a favorite of mine as it seems to be the perfect size to achieve quick death due to its ability to stay in a tight pattern and deliver optimal energy upon impact. The Duck Club Steel dropped a variety of divers, from greater and lesser scaup to ringnecks and 

scoters.

LOAD LETHALITY

When it comes to testing shotgun shells, I like shooting a lot in a range of hunting situations. I prefer hunting alone because it removes the guesswork of how a load performs by having to compete with other hunters. I like patterning it a couple of times on paper, then going on as many hunts as possible. Ultimately, the best ammunition testing comes down to shooting birds, period.

I shot a lot of Winchester ammunition this season, both their Final Pass and Last Call lines. I first shot Final Pass in a 20 gauge. The 50/50 blended 2 1/2 + 4 shot patterned impressively well on paper in both my Browning Silver 20 gauge with a Muller Passing choke and my Benelli SBE3 AI with their factory modified choke. The first hunt was for mallards and wood ducks on a river, and the Final Pass load dropped birds with authority. No cripples and shots ranged out to 35 yards in zero wind.

A buddy shot the same 20-gauge Final Pass load on a windy day and confidently dropped a limit of wigeon. The lethality of the load commanded his attention, and he wanted to shoot more of it. I shot it on the same windy day in a different spot and connected on wigeon, mallards, pintails and green-winged teal, speaking to the effectiveness of this load.

But the ultimate test came in December when I took my Benelli SBE3 20-gauge AI to San Francisco Bay and hunted surf scoters from a layout boat. In nine minutes, I fired eight shots and killed seven drake surf scoters with the 2 1/2 + 4 payload. It was windy and not easy shooting. Only one duck required a follow-up shot. It’s a very efficient, very versatile steel load.

LONG DISTANCE DAMAGE

I also shot two loads of Winchester Final Pass in 12 gauge on a hunt in Nebraska, then later in Oregon. Both the 3-inch load of 2 1/2 + 4 and a 3.5-inch load of 1 1/2 + BB delivered impressive knockdown power on ducks and geese, respectively. I cut these loads open and was dazzled with the near-perfect roundness of each zinc-plated steel pellet. I’ve always been a fan of round, as simple physics confirms that round flies with efficiency.

Both loads patterned very well in a Browning Maxus as well as the A5. Factory modified and full chokes produced excellent patterns in both guns. I prefer chokes that

deliver a basketball-sized pattern at 30 yards over wide spreads.

The 2 1/2 + 4 shot payload was impressive on ducks out to 45 yards. When I swatted a cripple on the river at 40 yards, the mist that consumed the greenhead caught my attention. The blended steel load delivered noticeable energy and tight patterns, killing with consistency.

On a field hunt for mallards and geese, I upsized to the 3.5-inch 1 1/2 + BB blended steel payload. I shot a Winchester SX4 with a factory modified choke. I was on the downwind side of the blind, so I batted cleanup with four other hunters in the blind. It was windy with gusts exceeding 20 mph. Several shots I took were more than 50 yards at birds that were speeding away with a stiff tailwind. The load dropped ducks and geese consistently. I shot the last goose of the day as it flew straight overhead, all of 65 yards. 

There’s something to this Final Pass 1/2-size steel shot, as not only does it deliver dense patterns by what it feels like is filling in gaps, but it simply kills birds. I shot many limits with the 2 1/2 + 4 shot during the last month of the season in the Pacific Northwest, in a range of guns and chokes. All handled the load with utmost effectiveness. This load confirms you don’t need to break the bank to kill ducks and geese. Steel shot does just fine.

MAKE IT A DOUBLE

If you are looking for something beyond steel, consider Winchester’s Last Call Double Shot. On two hunts in Nebraska, I shot this load for the first time. The first three shots I fired dropped three fat, northern greenheads. I was on the good end of the pit blind, so I had separation from other hunters as we shot decoying greenheads over a warm water creek. I saw exactly how the load performed on each of the three singles.

I took a break, watching my buddies shoot the same load. One shot a Maxus, two shot A5s. They killed with precision. 

Later in the morning, birds became wary of our blind as heaters thawed the top and changed its color from the surroundings. It was 11 degrees outside and calm. Surrounded by white frost, the now yellow blind stood out. It didn’t matter because even with ducks flaring at 40-50 yards, the Last Call kept pounding them.

The custom blend of  2 1/2 steel and 9 TSS was fun to shoot. Every time I pulled the trigger, I knew ducks would die. The performance of the high-density 18 g/cc TSS was impressive, as I wasn’t sure what to expect from the tiny TSS pellets. I cut open two of these shells and counted pellets. They were within one pellet of each other, which speaks to the precision of this stacked payload. This load dropped ducks with force.

I was excited to test the Last Call Double Shot back home in Oregon, on late-season ducks. Using a 12-gauge Benelli SBE3 with the new AI barrel, this load hammered ducks out to 60 yards. I shot it on two hunts, limiting each time on mallards, pintails, wigeon and wood ducks. Every shot from 50 yards in crushed birds dead in the sky. When cleaning the birds, high counts of TSS wound channels were the norm, yet I never found a pellet because they blew right through.

I also tested some of Winchester’s Last Call. I first shot the 1 1/4-ounce load of 18 g/cc 9 shot TSS in a 12 gauge on an open marsh hunt for puddle ducks. While it killed ducks, some didn’t immediately expire, which required long hikes to recover, even with my dogs. I upsized to the 5 shot, and it delivered more knockdown energy, but for the price of pure TSS, I went back to shooting steel.

However, I was inspired by the Last Call in .410 number 9 shot. I used this on a pair of small creek hunts; one by myself, one with a buddy who also shot a 410. Shots ranged from 12 to 25 yards on the calm days. Shot selection was deliberate and precise, resulting in impressive lethality.

Whether you prefer to hunt alone, with a buddy, or in groups—and no matter the conditions being faced—each of these loads has something to offer. As with all loads, specialized shotguns and chokes these days, be sure to pattern each one before the hunt so you know exactly what to expect when the time comes to pull the trigger on birds.

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